CURRENT PRODUCTION

The Glove Auditions: This afternoon and two following days 11 a.m.–1 p.m. 2 p.m.–5 p.m.

Shakespeare	Mr Simon Morten
Anne Hathaway	Miss Nina Gaythorne
Hamnet Shakespeare	Master William Smith
The Dark Lady	Miss Margaret Mannering
Dr Hall
Joan Hart
The Rival
Burbage
Books of the Play obtainable at office.

Peregrine stood in front of the board and copied the casting into his own book. The actors read the notices and by ones and twos moved into the auditorium and through the stalls into the foyer.

He moved chairs on to the stage, placing them back to back to mark the doorways into Shakespeare’s parlour and leaving a group of six as working props. He went into the stalls and sat down.

I must pull myself together, he thought, I must go on as usual and I must whip up from somewhere enthusiasm for my own play.

Bob Masters came on stage and peered into the auditorium.

‘Bob,’ Peregrine said, ‘we’ll hold auditions in the usual way when everyone is ready.’

‘Right. Give us half an hour while Winty settles the treasury.’

‘OK.’

The last of the actors had gone into the foyer. A lonely couple emerged from the shadows and appeared on stage: William and his mother, she tidy in a dark grey suit and white blouse, William also in dark grey, white shirt and dark blue tie. He walked over to the board, looked at it and turned to his mother. She joined him and put her hands on his shoulders. ‘I’m not sure,’ he said clearly. ‘Don’t I have to audition?’

‘Hullo, William,’ Peregrine called out. ‘You don’t, really. We’re taking a gamble on you. But I see you’ve got your book. Go and collect your treasury and come back here and we’ll see how you shape up. All right?’

‘Yes, thank you, sir.’

‘I’ll come back and wait for you outside,’ said his mother. She had gone out by the stage door before Peregrine realized what she was up to.

William went through the house to the offices, and for a short time Peregrine was quite alone. He sat in the stalls and supposed that people like Nina had begun to say that the Dolphin was an unlucky theatre. And suddenly time contracted and the first production of his play seemed to have scarcely completed its run. He could almost hear the voices of the actors…

William came back. He went through the opening scenes and Peregrine thought: I was right. The boy’s an actor.

‘You’ll do,’ he said. ‘Go home and learn your lines and come down for rehearsals in a week’s time.’

‘Thank you, sir,’ said William and went out by the stage door. ‘“Yes, sir. No, sir. Three bags full, sir,” said an unmistakable voice. It was Bruce Barrabell, sitting up at the back. In the dark.